Session Chair Responsibilities

Before the Conference:

• Please view the Technical Program for information about the session you are chairing.
• A copy of the author biographies will be sent to you. Contacting the presenters in your session(s) is a way of ensuring their attendance and commitment to the meeting.
• If biographies for authors in the session you are chairing are missing, please email the authors and request brief biographies so that you can properly introduce them before their presentation.
• Preregister for the meeting and save. Prices increase by $100 if you register onsite. As a Session Chair you are entitled to the reduced Author/Session Chair/Committee registration rate.

Print Onsite Instructions for Session Chairs.

At the Conference:

• Check for any late program updates on the room sign outside of the meeting room.
• You will receive a Session Report Form from the Conference Chair to use in tracking changes in your session.
• Return the forms to the Registration Desk, the Speaker Check-In Desk, or the AV room monitor. It is very important that these forms are returned to SPIE for paper and publication records.

Chairing the Session:

• Introduce the session topic
• Introduce the speakers
• Maintain the program schedule
• Be prepared for the unexpected!
• If you find a presenter has failed to attend:
  
  • Note the no show on the Session Report form
  • DO NOT move to the next paper. Attendees plan for the talks they want to hear based on the published schedule.
  • Choose one of these options:
    
    
    • Fill in the *hole* with a standby paper (if there are no official standby authors for your session, make arrangements in advance to have one or two *no strings* [no manuscript] presenters on hand)
    • Open the floor to an extended Q&A session for speakers who have already presented
    • Have one or two controversial topics ready for discussion
    • Bring a topic on your laptop for presentation and/or discussion
    • Open the floor for discussion on any topic of interest to the audience
      
  • Start the next talk at its published, scheduled time.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact your Conference Program Coordinator. (See list of Program Coordinators)